The posts connected to the uSwitch Quality of Life Index raised an interesting perception that many people seem to hold true but is actually very far from the case.

The notion that we have some of Europe’s highest electricity and gas prices in the UK is wrong – what we do have though, and here’s the important bit, is some of the highest energy use and therefore higher bills than some countries.

This is despite the fact that some of the countries have much lower average temperatures and fewer hours of daylight than the UK but still often manage to use less energy for heating their homes.

But we can change this.

So let’s look at the facts and then take some action. These tables, based on government figures (source: DECC), show the price of electricity and gas around Europe:

Click to see larger image

Click to see larger image

The UK’s near the cheaper end but it doesn’t feel like that when we all get our bills.

There’s a harsh reality we have to face up to. While many people use energy wisely and are very efficient, many of us aren’t. This is despite the fact that with some simple changes and a little effort we can get control of our bills and potentially cut the amount spent every month on electricity and gas. This isn’t just something that’d be nice to do – it’s essential. The reality is global energy prices are set to continue rising that’s why to cut your bills you’ve got to take some action and we can help you every step of the way.

Sounds nice in theory but what do we all need to do?

Insulate: without insulation, you can lose 25% of your heat through the roof and 33% through the walls; with it you could save up to £340 a year.

Moderate: because you can’t see energy, you can’t see it being wasted. That’s why, in the last two years alone, we’ve given out 277,000 energy monitors, and software to enable our customers to track energy usage over time.

Generate: if you’re making energy yourself, then you don’t need to buy it from someone else. That’s why we’re helping customers to take advantage of the Government’s Feed-in Tariff scheme which is designed to kick-start the renewable energy market. If you can afford to invest in solar panels you can actually be paid to generate energy yourself. If you can’t, no problem; rent-a-roof schemes such as E.ON’s SolarExchange can provide solar panels without the need for substantial upfront investment, leaving you to benefit from the free electricity they generate.

We’re working really hard to engage with all our customers to help them make changes to their energy use and their bills. If we can help our customers control their bills and maybe even save a few quid we’ll have more happier customers and at the end of the day that’s good news for you and good news for us.

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